To many, a person’s reputation is everything. People have gossiped since the beginning of time. Most claim to hate gossiping, yet, according to Arina’s Self Help Blog, “66% of all human communication is gossip.” And with the rapid climb of gossip blogs, reputations are being tarnished or even completely ruined. People claim to hate it but love doing it. The following is a list of some of the worst gossip blogs on the internet, whether the stories are true or not, people love to read them and pass the word along to others.

Coming in first place, and no surprise, is the website of Perez Hilton:

PerezHilton.com has commonly been referred to as “Hollywood’s most hated website. The site was created in 2009 by author Mario Lavandeira. According to ‘The Guardian: World’s Most Powerful Blogs,’ “Mario is famous for scrawling rude things (typically doodles about drug use) over pap photos and outing closeted stars. On the day of Lindsay Lohan’s arrest for drink-driving, he posted 60 updates.” The worst part? “Eight million readers logged on to get the nitty gritty details of Lohan”-at a time when she was at her worst. 

Hilton lives for gossip and rarely, if ever, has anything positive to say about anyone in the Hollywood spotlight. Hilton has also had a reality show on VH1. Celebrities are not happy about the things he has to say and are retaliating. Also, according the ‘The Guardian,’ “Fergie from the ‘Black Eyed Peas’ alluded to him in a song, and Avril Lavigne phoned, asking him to stop writing about her after he repeatedly blogged about her lack of talent and her freakishly long arm.”

Coming in second place on our Worst Gossip Blog list is TMZ:

TMZ was launched in 2005 by AOL and has kept going with the most up to date gossip news with the help of approximately 20 writers. TMZ prides itself on being a relentless celebrity gossip site-whether the stories written are fact or fiction. Pulling in an estimated 1.6 million readers a month, ‘The Guardian’ deems “celeb activity as mundane as stars walking to their cars worthy of a video post.” In fact, “it was the first to break Alec Baldwin’s now infamous ‘rude little pig’ voicemail last April, for instance. TMZ prides itself on being close to the action, so close, in fact, a TMZ photographer had his foot run over by Britney Spears mid-meltdown. They auctioned the tyre-tracked sock on eBay in aid of US charity, the Children’s Defense Fund last autumn.” Now, here is a celebrity that was having a very hard time in her life and they are auctioning off a sock on eBay that Spears touched? It’s sad.

In third place on our Worst Gossip List we have Valleywag:

Valleywag is a Media blog site that revolves around the gossip of Silicon Valley personalities. The site was created in February of 2006 by Editor Nick Douglas, and is now run by Ryan Tate. According to the site, “it was the first to break some stories, such as the leaking of a Gene Simmons sex tape.” Still, this site gets worse. This site also broadcasts rumors and untrue gossip about people that are not even in the public eye. For example, according to the New York Times, “a college intern who falsely called in sick to work and had it publicized across the Internet by Valleywag.”

These sites are making serious money by destroying reputations. If it weren’t for the public’s attraction to gossip, these sites wouldn’t even be functioning. So what is it about gossip that is so appealing? According to Arina’s Self Help Blog, the number one reason people gossip is it acts as a bonding mechanism, “It is really simple. When two people discuss a third person, it makes them feel closer. Almost like they have committed a little crime together and now they have a secret of their own that they do not want anyone else to discover. Gossiping makes us feel ‘part of a closed club,’ by creating a strange feeling of mutual trust and bonding.” However, something for all of us to consider is this: “Do you really want to bond THAT way? Because a person who is gossiping WITH you, will most likely gossip ABOUT you the second you leave.”

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E.L. James’ “50 Shades of Grey” reached number one on both USA Today and the New York Times’ bestseller lists. The book sold over 3 million copies in less than a month. The author, astounded at her success, has received much praise for her book from adoring fans. The book’s erotic content has also sparked some opposition, so much so that several libraries in Georgia, Florida, and Wisconsin banned the book from their shelves.

As book one in the Fifty Shades Trilogy, the author describes the fictional romance of student Anastasia Steele and business success story Christian Grey. Grey, focused on an overwhelming desire to control, offers a sadistic relationship. Steele, a virgin, but passionately curious, unlocks some of her own dark desires. The novel is erotica, but it also portrays some true relationship issues.

The problem comes from people that read the book, disagree with the content, and do not want anyone else to read it either. The libraries in the three states that banned the book agreed that they listen to reader interests. Public libraries, because they are funded by taxpayer money, listen to residents who make a complaint. If the demand is high enough, they will pull the book from the shelf. Many of the complaints are filed by concerned parents, who do not want children getting their hands on what could be labeled pornography.

Other librarians, such as Kate Hall from the New Lenox Public Library in Illinois, strongly oppose taking any book from the shelf, no matter the content. So far, Hall’s library has only received requests for the book.

According to New Lenox Patch, Hall says, “People are always going to have issues with some books…. It does chill me a little bit just because it’s one person speaking out for the entire community.” One person should not be the deciding factor for a library.

Random House, the publisher of “50 Shades”, is calling the ban unconstitutional. Under the First Amendment, banning books is censorship and deprives readers of the right to choose what they want to read. According to TMZ, a representative from Random House claims that the library asserts that they “will judge what you can read.” They are taking away the book that readers want and have a right to buy.

There is no denying that this racy book is not for everyone. The debate is bound to continue as popularity of the book escalates and talk of a movie adaptation is well underway.

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For anyone who’s ever wanted to live the life of a celebrity, now’s your chance. The new Lean Pockets brand “Live Famously sweepstakes” is offering consumers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live famously in the new year, experiencing Hollywood the way that today’s A-list stars do.

The grand prize winner and a friend will spend the day in and around Los Angeles, and receive a luxury hotel stay, chauffeured car service, a $1,000 shopping spree, a $250 spa experience, and a special concert experience with well-known celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

Hilton, who gives millions of fans a daily peek into how the famous live through his prominent blog, www.perezhilton.com, will host the sweepstakes, helping the grand prize winner get a taste of what celebrity life is all about. Fans can follow Hilton on Twitter and Facebook during the promotional period to receive additional details about the grand prize experience.

“Perez is the perfect fit for the Lean Pockets brand ‘Live Famously sweepstakes,’” said Daniel Jhung, Lean Pockets Marketing Director. “He’s become a household name by giving his fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be part of the celebrity scene.

Plus, we’re inspired by his commitment to a healthier lifestyle and the approach he’s taken to maintain his recent weight loss – exercising and eating better-for-you foods. His approach is realistic and not radical, and we think that’s something our Lean Pockets fans can appreciate.

They like Lean Pockets brand sandwiches because they’re quick, have 340 calories or less, and still taste great.”

The Lean Pockets brand “Live Famously sweepstakes” will be live January 1 through March 31, 2012. In addition to the grand prize, there’s also a chance to win thousands of daily prizes, such as retail gift cards of varying amounts.

To enter the sweepstakes, users must enter a code, available two ways: 1) During the promotion period, visit a Lean Pockets brand retailer and purchase a specially marked package of Lean Pockets brand sandwiches, or 2) To enter without making a purchase, obtain a code on the “Live Famously sweepstakes” Tab on the Lean Pockets brand Facebook Page.

After obtaining a code during the promotion period, users must visit the Lean Pockets Facebook Page, and complete and submit the registration form. Users will automatically receive one entry into the sweepstakes and advance to the “Instant Win Game” Page, receiving one instant play for that day.

Dooley Productions / Shutterstock.com

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FiOS TV subscribers in the Northeast woke up Tuesday morning (Jan. 10) to a new way of interacting and enjoying their TV experience. The new benefits are the result of Verizon’s continued transformation of FiOS TV viewing by bringing the next generation of its FiOS TV Interactive Media Guide to subscribers in the company’s New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island service areas.

More than 4.2 million households in these states can now take advantage of award-winning FiOS TV and the advanced IMG. Introduced in 2007, the FiOS TV IMG was the first broadband platform to pull together content from broadcast TV, the Internet and users’ own personal media into one media-management system.

It has since evolved into an in-depth, interactive TV experience, with applications for advanced/intuitive search, social networking, Internet video, personal media streaming, high-definition music, remote DVR controls, account management and billing functions, multi-screen/mobile viewing and much more.

The company used customer feedback taken in through its product development labs, field trials and online consumer forums to create many of the more than 25 new upgrades to FiOS TV’s advanced IMG that are now available to subscribers in the tri-state area. The enhancements include greater personalization and customization, easier navigation, deeper search, bigger storage options and optimization for new 3D technology.

“Customers are at the center of everything we do, and that includes how we develop our products and services,” said Susan Retta, vice president of marketing for Verizon’s Northeast area.

“FiOS TV isn’t about passive video watching – it has evolved into an entertainment and information destination. Our new generation of FiOS TV is all about simplicity of design, increased user interactivity and ease of use. It’s yet another way we want our customers to get the most out of their FiOS services.”

Highlights include:

• Improved search capabilities, which provide a smarter search function that predicts what the customer is looking for and automatically provides potential matches. FiOS TV customers also can filter and sort by channel, and more easily locate favorite programs.
• DVR enhancements, which give FiOS TV customers more control with the following:
• DVR chaptering, giving viewers DVD-like capabilities to jump ahead or resume viewing at a particular moment of recorded programming by using on-screen thumbnails in 10-minute increments, providing more visual navigation.
• Multi-hub DVR, which turns any DVR or HD set-top box in the home into a “hub,” allowing customers to record and manage DVR settings from any room in the home, provided one of the DVRs is a multi-room DVR.
• eSATA external storage device compatibility, available with most FiOS TV DVRs, allowing for increased overall storage capacity. The eSATA hard drives can be purchased at most consumer electronics stores and will automatically record customer selections once plugged into the DVR.
• New ”play all” and “delete all” options, allowing customers to play episodes back-to-back and automatically delete all episodes of a show with the push of a button.

• Personalization features, which let FiOS TV customers enjoy entertainment on their own terms, including:
• New parental control options that make monitoring children’s viewing even easier, with the ability to block out portions of programming by rating during key hours of the day, like homework time, and schedule certain times for Parental Controls to be automatically turned on and off for greater flexibility.
• Guide customization, enabling a variety of settings, with a mini guide on the bottom of the screen, a half guide on the right side of the screen, and a full guide with a look at more hours of scheduled programming.

• 3D content software, which automatically detects when a customer tunes to a 3D program or channel and instantly changes the necessary settings for watching those programs on a 3D television set.

Verizon’s FiOS TV Interactive Media Guide can be accessed with the FiOS TV remote control or by using Verizon’s FiOS Mobile application, which turns an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or Android device into a remote control for a FiOS HD set-top box, making parental controls, customized interactive applications and program recording options easy to access.

The next-generation FiOS TV is built upon a long series of innovations, including Flex View and FiOS TV Online, which extend FiOS TV beyond the home to the Internet and a range of mobile devices; free interactive applications including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Yelp, HSN Shop By Remote, TMZ and others;

Media Manager, which allows customers to access on their TVs personal photos, music and videos from their computers; and In-Home Agent, which frees customers to use simple online tools to diagnose and resolve a range of service issues.

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